Quotes from “Elite Minds” by Dr. Stan Beecham

There is nothing more important to your health – and, ultimately, your life – than what you believe to be true.

The full title of this book is “Elite Minds – How Winners Think Differently to Create a Competitive Edge and Maximize Success”. That full title, along with a recommendation from a friend, is what brought this book into my reading queue. However, I was quite skeptical that this would be yet another rehash of the same content floating in the self-help success genre for the past 20 years. I was pleasantly surprised.

I have always known that my mind holds great power. I am not talking about smarts, intelligence or willpower – I truly believe that my state of mind has a direct impact on my physical ability, wellbeing and overall effectiveness in life. This book not only affirms that, it helped me to understand that this is much more than simply the “power of positive thinking”. There is a great deal of chemistry behind all of this.

The book goes on to provide insights and actions for changing my core beliefs and maximizing the potential of my mind.

Here are a few quotes I highlighted during my reading:

Not trying to be better, but instead being my best.

“If you plan on being anything less that you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” – Abraham Maslow

“Baseball is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical.” – Yogi Berra

The mind is in control of the body.

Your body does what your brain tells it to do or what your brain thinks your body is capable of doing.

What you believe about yourself and your world is the primary determinant of what you do and, how well you do it.

Your mind can make you sick, and your mind can heal you.

The unconscious mind, or what you truly believe is true, determines what the body does and can do. The conscious mind can only sit, observe, think, and worry.

“There is nothing more important to your health – and, ultimately, your life – than what you believe to be true.” – Dr. Daniel Amen

Thought-energy can activate or inhibit physical functionality on a cellular level.

It is always possible to develop new habits or change old, unconscious ones through the use of the conscious mind, which is deliberate and intentional.

They outperform others because they have trained themselves to believe, think, and behave in optimal unison.

You can learn to manage your unconscious mind, you can learn to master your performance in any physical endeavor.

Successful people bring conscious thinking to a mostly unconscious process.

Free will, drive, determination, and motivation are all by-products of the conscious mind. The good news is that the conscious mind has the capacity to override the unconscious mind. The key word here is “capacity.” Sadly, most of us do not take advantage of this ability and instead function on autopilot.

People strongly believe that they beliefs are valid simply because they believe them. Unfortunately, this is not true, and the false beliefs that we hold limit our lives in significant ways.

Each of us holds beliefs about what we do well and what we don’t do well. The fact of the matter is you cannot separate the belief from the ability because they are connected. The primary reason you don’t do something well is because you believe it is difficult, impossible, or not very enjoyable.

To improve our behavior and ultimately our performance, we must get our unconscious minds wired and ready for success before events happen.

We do what we think we can do. We don’t attempt what we think we are incapable of.

Your current performance… is the sum of your belief system, which is subconscious.

Whatever you believe is true, is [for you].

You can change someone’s brain chemistry, emotions, and beliefs with the power of your words.

‘nocebo’ which in Latin means ‘I will harm.’ ‘placebo’ in Latin means ‘I will please.’

Our unconscious and conscious belief systems not only affect our health, behavior, habits, and performance but they also determine our quality of life.

Once the quest for truth is replaced with a desire to feel good, the journey is over.

We think our ego – our persona – is who we really are. But this is only to the same extent that your clothes, your hairstyle, and your personality are who you are. In order to reach your full potential – your greatness – you must first admit that you are wrong about yourself.

“There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence themselves.” – Will Rogers

Belief is unconscious – it’s where what we hold true about ourselves resides. This is also our source of emotion. Though we do not consciously choose our emotional response to events, our emotional response is ultimately dictated by our belief system.

The best way to improve your emotional state is to first examine and correct your belief system.

Our thoughts are usually a by-product of our beliefs.

Thoughts are easier to change than beliefs, so your should put most of your energy toward improving your thinking. Ultimately, you can change your unconscious beliefs through conscious thought.

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” – Einstein

We all lie to ourselves… There are certain truths about ourselves that are too unsettling to acknowledge, so we massage the truth into a belief that we can live with.

The less time you spend thinking about yourself, the more time you have to focus on what it is you want to do – and the better off you will be.

Most people tell lies primarily because it is too dangerous to tell the truth… Great leaders make it safe for others to tell the truth and then reward that behavior.

Belief about the future has a tremendous impact on how we live our lives and perform in the present.

Anxiety or worry is a negative belief about the future.

Your future is primarily determined by what you tell yourself about the future.

In order for humans to be at their best, we need to do physical strenuous activities (which release endorphins) and to complete tasks and have a sense of accomplishment (which releases dopamine)… We are wired to challenge ourselves and our bodies, and in turn, our bodies reward us.

Endorphins are 100 times more potent than medical-grade morphine.

Not only does serotonin help with depression but it is also believed to help us deal with adversity and challenge… The chemical is also involved in our ability to feel connected to others.

As soon as we believe a task is beyond our reach, it’s over. At that moment, the task becomes impossible for us.

We need immediate feedback on our performance.

We must feel a sense of control over our actions. Telling people what to do and how to do it is generally not very beneficial after the people have developed the core skills to do the job. Employees prefer to be told what needs to be done and then be allowed to figure out how to meet the challenge.

If you are setting a goal without understanding the reason for it, then maybe you should reevaluate the goal in general.

My main problem with goal setting is that we play is way too safe.

Setting a goal that has no chance of failure is a waste of time. It’s nothing more than a pep rally.

Goals that are not frightening are not worth having.

When we create a Plan B, it’s not as much a safety net as it is a noose. It’s a great way to sabotage yourself. Anyone with a Plan B is not totally committed to the Plan A. They are hedging their bets. People with a Plan B are planning to fail – they just don’t know it yet. Kill Plan B or it will kill you.

In order to do your best, you must expect to win.

Wanting… is a conscious desire. Expecting… is an unconscious belief. There’s a big difference between the two.

Expectation dictates performance. Everyone wants to win, but only a very few expect to win.

Success is defined by your response to failure.

How you function during a good day does not define your character. It’s how you function during a bad day that is the true test.

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” – Helen Keller

Luck is not something that is out there. It’s inside you, inside your mind.

[Luck] is how you see yourself in relation to the world.

Now is different because of your belief in the future.

Imagine how your life would be different if you believed that things would always work out for you. You would have much less to worry and stress in your life. Whenever you had a setback, you would understand that it was part of the process as you continued on your journey. And most importantly, if you believed it was all going to work out, you would be able to stay in the moment with a quiet mind, which would allow for your optimal performance.

Successful people think of themselves as lucky. they believe the world is working with them, not against them.

Optimism is… a belief system that can be learned and… it can have a significant impact on our lives.

In order to shift the mindset from pessimist to optimist, the pessimists have to learn to step blaming themselves for events that are outside their control. the most important thing they need to learn to control is their own attitudes and beliefs about themselves.

What we refer to as ‘luck’ is actually what we believe to be true about ourselves and the world. People who have a positive view of themselves and the world are the recipients of ‘good luck’.

The past is the best predictor of the future.

Once someone picks a trajectory, they tend to stay on it. People who have won in the past tend to think they will win in the future.

Your mental goal should be to expect to win.

It isn’t luck that determines your success, it’s expectation.

You get what you settle for. Whether you think you are lucky or unlucky, you’re right!

Everyone has the same amount of time, but successful people value their time more.

‘Who am I?’ is the most important and difficult of all questions to answer… You have to know who are are now in order to become the person you want to be.

“If I were dropped out of a plane into the ocean and told the nearest land was 1,000 miles away. I’d still swim. And I’d despise the one who gave up.” – Abraham Maslow

Your beliefs about what is possible and impossible will dictate your behavior and, ultimately, your success.

In great adversity and challenge, a person sees oneself the clearest.

If you want to live a great life, do what you are capable of, every day.

“First do what is necessary… Then do the possible… And then you will find yourself doing the impossible.” – St. Francis of Assisi

Simply become all that you already are.

As long as you have a good excuse as to why you haven’t started to fly, you never will.

When fear dies, you begin to live.

Fear is created by the person who is experiencing it.

Every fearful or anxious thought we have ever had or will ever have is created by us.

The worst advice you can give someone who is trying to be successful is to be careful.